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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. lie — to recline
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — army training
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — child
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. rash — hasty
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rash — a series

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