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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. field — for sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cue — a hint
  11. drill — the tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. drill — army training
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — rain
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — ground
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cue — a signal
  21. land — to come down
  22. drill — a practice
  23. branch — a division
  24. racket — for tennis

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