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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 120 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: pit · ball · wind · straw · nail · drill · lie · board

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — the tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pit — in a race
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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