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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: bore · pit · bay · capital · squash · racket · vault · shower

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. capital — money
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bore — to tire
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. pit — a hole

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