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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 116 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: swing · file · bore · cap · sharp · pitch · fine · tube

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fine — high quality
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. tube — a container
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fine — all right

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