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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. game — a match
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hand — help
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. season — in sport
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kick — in football
  12. lie — to recline
  13. season — of the year
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spell — letters
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — magic

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