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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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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: fall · lie · ground · racket · bowl · squash · mouse · kick

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fall — the season
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. kick — in football
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bowl — a football final

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