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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — wild animals
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mark — a trace
  5. track — a path
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bore — to drill
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bore — to tire
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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