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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: shower · fork · bat · plane · content · hide · board · ball

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — to get on
  3. fork — in a road
  4. content — happy
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. board — a committee
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bat — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — to wash
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a great time
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. shower — rain
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bat — for baseball

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