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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wound — an injury
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — help
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — government
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — certain
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wound — an injury

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