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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bore — to tire
  3. file — a tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bore — to drill
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kid — to tease
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — of water
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kid — child
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bore — gave birth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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