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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: board · season · racket · land · object · vault · bore · ground

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bore — to tire
  7. land — a country
  8. object — a thing
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ground — a position
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to drill
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — to get on
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — of the year
  20. object — to protest
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. board — a committee
  24. ground — the earth

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