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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. drill — a practice
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. drill — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fall — the season
  11. degree — from a university
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rule — government
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — in an idiom

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