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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. last — final
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spring — a coil
  8. last — finally
  9. spring — the season
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. spring — of water
  12. clip — a video
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bore — to tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. last — to go on

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