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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. shower — to wash
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mug — a face
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mug — to rob
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. shower — rain
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — to drill
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bore — to tire

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