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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
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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 · drill · rock · deal · jam · game · clip · cold

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. game — a match
  3. drill — army training
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cold — not warm
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rock — music
  14. lie — to recline
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. drill — the tool
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cold — an illness
  23. game — wild animals
  24. clip — a video

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