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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.

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: bark · pitcher · squash · mouse · content · drill · court · plane

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — the tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. drill — a practice
  10. court — for sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bark — to shout
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. drill — army training
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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