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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: game · lean · drill · fall · lie · cap · roll · degree

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — thin
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lie — to recline
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — a practice
  24. roll — a cake

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