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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: mug · drill · hide · wound · cold · sharp · lie · kick

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. drill — the tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kick — in football
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — army training
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a face
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. drill — a practice

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