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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. chest — a box
  11. drill — army training
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lie — to recline
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pop — soda
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — music
  24. drill — the tool

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