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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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Word bank
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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: lie · pitcher · root · clip · drill · fall · chip · mark

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mark — a trace
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. drill — the tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — for betting
  8. root — the cause
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — army training
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — to eat
  19. root — of a plant
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a word
  24. fall — the season

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