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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: drill · rush · calf · squash · cabinet · content · pitcher · present

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. drill — a practice
  10. content — the amount
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. squash — to crush
  20. present — the time now
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. content — happy

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