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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rule — a law
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rule — government
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mate — a friend
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bore — to tire
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bore — to drill
  17. can — a tin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a match
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. can — to be able to

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