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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. shower — rain
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. dip — to sink

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