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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: straw · content · stick · mouse · drill · land · spell · club

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. drill — a practice
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. club — for golf
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. club — for dancing
  12. land — ground
  13. club — a group
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — army training
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spell — letters
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — the tool

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