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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bore — to drill
  12. board — to get on
  13. lean — to bend
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. board — a committee
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fan — to cool the air

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