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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: fall · row · charge · temple · dip · stick · bore · bat

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bore — to drill
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — the season
  20. charge — in control
  21. bore — to tire
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. bat — in an idiom

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