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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. branch — a division
  3. lie — to recline
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. dip — to sink
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. kick — in football
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. march — music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — to confront
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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