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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · cabinet · wound · field · net · mate · chip · pitch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. net — in sport
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — after costs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — for sport
  23. bore — to drill
  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