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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · hand · lash · season · game · pound · bay · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. game — wild animals
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — the amount
  14. season — of the year
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — help
  21. season — in sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. game — a match
  24. drill — the tool

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