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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. current — happening now
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. drill — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ball — a dance
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. current — of water
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — army training
  22. court — of a king
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. racket — for tennis

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