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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bore — to drill
  4. current — electric
  5. date — the fruit
  6. club — a group
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bore — to tire
  16. current — of water
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. club — for golf
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. dip — to sink
  24. date — on the calendar

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