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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cue — a signal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kid — child
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a cake
  10. shower — to wash
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. roll — a list
  14. shower — rain
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bore — to tire
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. dip — to dunk

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