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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: bore · bowl · season · rush · key · vault · net · board

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. season — of the year
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. season — in sport
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bore — to tire
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — for a lock
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. net — for catching
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bore — to drill
  22. net — after costs
  23. key — in music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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