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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · plane · drill · mate · content · lie · lash · saw

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pop — soda
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. saw — the tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — the amount
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com