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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a dance
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — to drill
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ball — a great time
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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