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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bore — to tire
  3. dip — to sink
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bore — to drill
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — to rob
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — a subject
  21. snap — to click
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — a grade
  24. deal — an agreement

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