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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bore — to tire
  6. root — of a word
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. plane — a tool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. file — a tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. file — a document
  24. root — the cause

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