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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 120 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 retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. plane — a tool
  6. land — a country
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — rain
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bore — to tire
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bore — to drill
  14. can — a tin
  15. dip — to sink
  16. land — to come down
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. land — ground

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