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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.

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

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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: stick · bat · bay · ball · pop · drill · plane · kid

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kid — child
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pop — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pop — soda
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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