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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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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: last · bore · cell · fan · ball · vault · pit · bowl

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bore — to tire
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. last — final
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. last — finally

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