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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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 — to sink
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — the time now
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pound — a weight
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. row — to paddle
  20. present — a gift
  21. row — a line
  22. present — there
  23. wind — moving air
  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