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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. court — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — the arms race
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — to sink
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lie — to recline
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — of law
  21. tube — a container
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — humankind

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