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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bore — to tire
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. net — for catching
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — a video
  15. root — the cause
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — of a word
  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