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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: game · bore · chip · last · bear · bank · pit · court

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. court — of law
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bear — the animal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — finally
  18. game — a match
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — final
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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