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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — the underground
  16. net — for catching
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tube — a container
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kick — in football

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