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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: stick · file · last · ball · bat · court · roll · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. file — a tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a document
  8. court — for sport
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bore — to tire
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. bat — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. last — finally
  24. bore — gave birth

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