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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. board — a committee
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fall — the season
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fall — to drop
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — to get on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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