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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. race — a contest
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. drill — the tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. scale — size or range
  24. race — humankind

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