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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 120 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: pit · shower · coach · bound · lie · land · tube · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. land — a country
  5. bound — tied together
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — ground
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bound — certain
  15. ball — a great time
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tube — a container
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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