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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — not warm
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spring — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a path
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spring — of water
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a song
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spring — a coil
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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