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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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468
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: pitch · season · cabinet · kick · bore · bowl · racket · tube

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. season — of the year
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tube — a container
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — in football
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. tube — the underground
  20. season — in sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pitch — a sports field

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