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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — to confront
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. face — part of the head
  24. dip — a sauce

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