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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: lie · lean · ball · pit · bound · season · hand · drill

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lean — thin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hand — help
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — to bend
  19. drill — army training
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  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