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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 116 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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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: kid · bore · racket · shower · pit · court · bowl · present

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. shower — rain
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. present — there
  9. bore — to drill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — the time now
  12. court — of a king
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bore — to tire
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. present — a gift
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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