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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rash — hasty
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. current — electric
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mug — a cup
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bore — to tire
  21. current — happening now
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — to eat
  24. current — of water

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