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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · bore · lash · bat · board · racket · fall · lie

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fall — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — to get on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lash — to lash out

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