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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: vault · season · bore · lie · fall · pitcher · chip · chest

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — in sport
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. season — of the year
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chest — a box
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chip — for betting

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