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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: kid · content · staff · plane · bat · stock · board · saw

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. kid — child
  3. plane — a tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. bat — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. staff — a stick
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stock — shares
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kid — to tease
  23. content — the amount
  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