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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 · hide · bat · scale · drill · file · pit · fan

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — happy
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. file — a tool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. file — a document
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. drill — army training
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. content — the amount
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fan — a supporter

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