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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — the earth
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stock — goods
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. can — to be able to
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — to sink
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kid — child
  20. stock — shares
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — to drill

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