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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: object · pound · pitch · wind · stick · bore · capital · kid

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kid — child
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. object — an aim
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. capital — money
  17. object — to protest
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitch — completely
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bore — to drill

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