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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: content · object · hand · racket · hide · row · bowl · plane

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — help
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — a line
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. content — happy
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. content — the amount
  20. object — an aim
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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