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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · cap · foot · arm · dip · sharp · land · bat

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. land — ground
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bore — to drill
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. land — to come down
  11. foot — a measure
  12. sharp — clever
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bore — to tire
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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