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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. dip — to sink
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pit — in a race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a hat
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — to recline
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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