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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. hand — help
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — final
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mouse — the animal

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