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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. dip — to sink
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — of law
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wake — before a funeral

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