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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · kick · chip · fall · band · mine · coach · lie

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — to eat
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kick — in football
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — army training
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fall — the season
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lie — to recline
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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