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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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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: cabinet · bore · pitch · pit · stick · bound · content · hand

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. content — the amount
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cabinet — ministers

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