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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bore — to tire
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — a tin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — in sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bore — to drill
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. can — a tin
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. drill — the tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. drill — army training

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