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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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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: capital · saw · drill · kid · content · arm · lie · track

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. saw — the tool
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — the amount
  9. kid — child
  10. drill — army training
  11. capital — a city
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. track — a path
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. track — a song
  17. saw — the tool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. content — happy
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kid — to tease
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. capital — a big letter

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