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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: cell · bound · lean · chip · bore · bat · field · court

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. court — for sport
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of a king
  18. chip — for betting
  19. court — of law
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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