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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: drill · cold · court · kick · firm · hide · fall · plane

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. drill — army training
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — decided
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kick — in football
  10. cold — not warm
  11. drill — the tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — for sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. firm — a company
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of a king
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. firm — steady

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