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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spell — magic
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. press — to push
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a list
  10. kid — child
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — letters
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. press — newspapers
  20. spring — the season
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to tire

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