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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
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 · wake · stock · arm · lie · roll · capital · chest

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. roll — a list
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. roll — a cake
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. chest — a box
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. capital — a city
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — army training
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. capital — money
  24. arm — part of the body

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