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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: content · craft · drill · bat · patient · lash · net · rest

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — for catching
  5. rest — a break
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. net — in sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — after costs
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — army training
  14. content — the amount
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. content — happy
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. craft — boats

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