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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — army training
  4. lie — to recline
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. drill — the tool
  8. track — a path
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. suit — clothes
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — in football
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a song
  17. season — of the year
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. drill — a practice

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