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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: rule · last · pitch · spring · bore · tube · hide · saw

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — of water
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rule — government
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — completely
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tube — a container
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to tire
  22. last — finally
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. tube — the underground

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