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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · staff · pitch · bore · board · cabinet · pop · wind

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. board — to get on
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. board — a committee
  23. pop — to visit
  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