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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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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: mark · pass · bowl · kid · field · pitcher · bore · vault

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — for sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mark — a grade
  9. field — farmland
  10. kid — child
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. field — a subject

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