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

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bore — to drill
  4. court — for sport
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. firm — decided
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. firm — a company
  23. chest — a box
  24. dip — to sink

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