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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — to drill
  4. dip — to sink
  5. scale — in music
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wake — a trail
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. game — wild animals
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. scale — size or range
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. deal — to handle
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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