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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — to rob
  3. land — to come down
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — the season
  10. land — ground
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mug — a face
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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