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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 116 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: fall · court · lie · pass · drill · spring · pit · saw

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pit — in a race
  4. spring — of water
  5. drill — a practice
  6. court — of law
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. court — of a king
  10. spring — the season
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pass — a permit
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. court — for sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fall — the season
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — to recline
  24. saw — the tool

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