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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — all right
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bore — to tire
  24. track — a path

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