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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: foot · pitch · bore · wind · file · hand · bound · pop

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bore — to tire
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — music
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — a measure
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hand — help
  24. bound — certain

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