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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kid — child
  9. stock — shares
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mine — an explosive

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