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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. net — after costs
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bore — to drill
  13. field — farmland
  14. drill — a practice
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — to tire
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lie — to recline
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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