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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 · ground · mine · mark · bay · calf · shower · drill

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ground — crushed
  5. shower — to wash
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mark — a grade
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mine — for digging
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — a practice
  17. content — happy
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — rain
  24. calf — a young animal

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