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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 120 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: last · pit · bat · bowl · rush · tube · bore · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pit — a hole
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. last — finally
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tube — a container

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