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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · bore · mug · pitch · game · pop · mine · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mug — a face
  4. pop — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pop — soda
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bore — gave birth

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