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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: pitch · mine · tear · bore · net · pit · cabinet · pound

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — after costs
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. net — for catching

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