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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: dip · bay · current · present · bore · pop · kid · foot

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pop — soda
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. kid — child
  9. current — of water
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. present — there
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — happening now
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. current — electric
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pop — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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