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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. current — happening now
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. current — electric
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bore — to drill
  13. root — of a word
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. dip — to sink
  16. root — of a plant
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cap — a lid
  20. root — the cause
  21. bat — the animal
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cap — of ice

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