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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: bowl · court · stem · bat · lie · key · bore · pass

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bore — to drill
  7. court — of a king
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stem — to come from
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. key — in music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. court — for sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bowl — a dish
  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