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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. field — a subject
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — farmland
  6. season — in sport
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. field — for sport
  13. bore — to drill
  14. snap — to click
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. dip — to sink
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — a tool
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. hand — in cards
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hand — help

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