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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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Word bank
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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: jam · dip · straw · bore · bat · date · perch · court

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — of a king
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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