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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. club — a group
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. club — for golf
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stem — to come from
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. face — to point toward
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. net — in sport
  23. bass — low music
  24. bat — the animal

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