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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.

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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: ground · lie · track · game · kid · craft · mate · drill

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. drill — a practice
  7. kid — child
  8. track — to keep track
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mate — a friend
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kid — to tease
  15. game — wild animals
  16. track — a song
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ground — a position
  19. game — a match
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. drill — army training
  22. track — a path
  23. craft — boats
  24. ground — crushed

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