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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: nail · suit · hand · lean · file · pitch · bore · mug

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mug — to rob
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mug — a face
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. suit — to fit
  16. file — a document
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitch — completely
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. file — a line of people

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