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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a trace
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pop — soda
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mark — to pay attention

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