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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. root — of a word
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. degree — an amount
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bore — to tire
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — the amount
  17. wake — a trail
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — happy
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — the cause
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. root — of a plant

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