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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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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: kid · present · swing · race · bore · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bore — to drill
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. present — there
  8. swing — to play on
  9. race — a contest
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. race — the arms race
  12. kid — child
  13. swing — music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitch — completely
  16. kid — to tease
  17. race — humankind
  18. bore — gave birth

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