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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
468
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: plane · bat · kid · cabinet · season · perch · drill · ground

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — army training
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — the tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — a practice
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. season — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — crushed

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