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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. club — a group
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. last — to go on
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ground — a position
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — for golf
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bore — to tire

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