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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: hide · field · fall · cap · dip · chip · drill · bore

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. drill — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fall — the season
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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