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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rock — music
  13. kick — in football
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — a series
  20. rock — a stone
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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