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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. cold — an illness
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rock — music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. dip — to sink
  9. present — the time now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lie — to recline
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bore — to drill
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tear — from crying

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