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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: lie · ground · racket · court · mark · trunk · drill · saw

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lie — to recline
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. ground — crushed
  16. court — of a king
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. mark — a trace
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — army training

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