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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 120 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: pound · lash · fan · drill · cell · pit · bay · bore

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — to tire
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — in a race
  23. drill — army training
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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