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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 120 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: fall · squash · ball · content · foot · bear · bat · plane

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. content — happy
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. ball — a dance
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — the amount
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ball — a great time
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bat — the animal

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