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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. field — farmland
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — a match
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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