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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. ball — a great time
  2. bore — to drill
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. drill — army training
  8. bore — to tire
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. drill — a practice
  11. craft — boats
  12. fall — the season
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — farmland
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. field — a subject
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — an untruth
  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