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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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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: bay · bound · clip · season · rock · ball · bore · pit

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bore — to tire
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rock — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. season — in sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rock — a stone
  21. season — of the year
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pit — in a race

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