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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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468
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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pit — a hole
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rest — a break
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chest — a box
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mine — an explosive

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