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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bore — to tire
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. track — a path
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — hurry
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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