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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · row · face · fan · drill · trunk · hide · lie

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — to recline
  4. row — to paddle
  5. drill — army training
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. court — of law
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — to confront
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — for sport
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. court — of a king
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — part of the head
  24. drill — a practice

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