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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: racket · clip · cabinet · straw · drill · mate · ground · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mate — a friend
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. clip — a video
  7. mate — a partner
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mate — to breed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — the earth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lie — to recline
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. clip — for paper
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ground — a position
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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