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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: fork · hand · pitch · can · bore · face · chest · bound

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chest — a box
  24. bore — to tire

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