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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: stick · hand · kid · last · lie · face · tear · drill

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. drill — army training
  3. hand — in cards
  4. face — to confront
  5. lie — to recline
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — to go on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — finally
  20. hand — help
  21. kid — to tease
  22. last — final
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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