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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — to drill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — for sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ground — a position
  21. field — a subject
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — not warm

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