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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to sink
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pop — music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bore — to drill
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. content — happy
  15. land — ground
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. land — to come down
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. land — a country
  22. bore — to tire
  23. content — the amount
  24. pop — soda

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