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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. drill — the tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. drill — a practice
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — a hint
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. net — for catching
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — in sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — to recline

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