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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — a container
  5. cap — a hat
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cap — a lid
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. staff — employees
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. dip — to sink
  22. staff — employees
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to dunk

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