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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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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 · saw · content · staff · fine · deal · lie · ground

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — the tool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fine — high quality
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ground — a position
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. staff — employees
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — a practice
  24. staff — employees

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