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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. drill — a practice
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of law
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — of a king
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mug — a face
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — army training
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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