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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. game — a match
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — to tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. dip — to sink
  14. land — a country
  15. perch — the fish
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — ground
  24. dip — a sauce

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