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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. staff — employees
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — to tease
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bore — to drill
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. roll — a list
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bore — gave birth

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