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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: content · racket · vault · bore · kick · pitch · race · row

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. race — humankind
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — happy
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. row — a line
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — the arms race
  23. vault — a safe
  24. race — a contest

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