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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — for sport
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. drill — army training
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. race — humankind
  10. court — of law
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of a king
  15. drill — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. race — a contest
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — hurry
  22. race — the arms race
  23. lie — to recline
  24. saw — the tool

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