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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: vault · pass · bore · hand · scale · pound · bowl · net

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bore — to tire
  5. net — after costs
  6. hand — in cards
  7. vault — a safe
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — help
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — in music

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