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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. court — of a king
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bore — to tire
  12. court — for sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. court — of law
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bore — to drill

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