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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: kid · chest · patient · bore · pitch · fine · tube · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chest — of your body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chest — a box
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fine — all right
  12. kid — child
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to tire
  23. drill — army training
  24. patient — a sick person

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