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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: suit · mine · bore · rush · racket · court · drill · lie

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — for sport
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — of a king
  8. suit — in cards
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. suit — clothes
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — to tire
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. suit — to fit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. drill — army training
  24. rush — to hurry

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