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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: sharp · pitcher · rule · pitch · present · cold · scale · bore

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rule — government
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rule — a law
  24. pitch — completely

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