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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: drill · cabinet · bowl · mine · degree · land · stand · lie

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. lie — to recline
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. land — ground
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. degree — temperature
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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