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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: track · net · bore · last · calf · pit · temple · cell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — final
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cell — in biology
  14. track — a path
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. net — for catching
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. track — to keep track
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. net — after costs

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