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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: bore · mine · chest · pitch · dip · race · bulb · nail

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. race — a contest
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — an explosive

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