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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 120 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: bat · last · tube · fan · hide · squash · foot · content

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tube — a container
  13. content — the amount
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — final
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. foot — a measure
  24. squash — the vegetable

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