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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: bore · last · kid · net · bowl · cell · ball · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. net — for catching
  4. kid — child
  5. last — finally
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. last — to go on
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. last — final
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — to drill
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bowl — to roll

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