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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lean — thin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lean — to bend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. net — in sport
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mate — a partner
  10. dip — to sink
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bore — to tire
  15. shower — to wash
  16. snap — to click
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — after costs
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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