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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: trunk · bowl · press · drill · lie · bat · track · pop

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. press — to push
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — to recline
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pop — to visit
  14. track — a path
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a song
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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