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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: stand · lie · trunk · date · bay · drill · pit · kick

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lie — to recline
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. kick — in football
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — army training
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stand — to bear
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pit — in a race

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