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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lie — to recline
  3. court — of law
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — a container
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. drill — army training
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. drill — a practice
  15. roll — a cake
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ball — a dance
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — for sport
  21. stand — to bear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. roll — a list
  24. tube — in a tire

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