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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a document
  4. chest — a box
  5. scale — size or range
  6. present — there
  7. spell — a short time
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — of law
  10. bore — to tire
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. court — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. present — the time now
  15. bore — to drill
  16. file — a tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. court — of a king
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. present — a gift
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a line of people

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