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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rock — a stone
  3. dip — to sink
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. club — a group
  9. cap — a hat
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — to eat
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fall — to drop
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fall — the season
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. bore — to drill

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