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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mark — a grade
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. game — wild animals

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