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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to tire
  8. row — a line
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pop — soda
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mark — a trace
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wind — moving 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