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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — farmland
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cold — not warm
  8. can — a tin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — help
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bore — to drill
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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