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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bore — to tire
  4. staff — a stick
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. root — of a plant
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mate — to breed
  17. root — of a word
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. staff — employees

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