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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: court · bay · pitch · mouse · bore · can · file · deal

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. court — of a king
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — for sport
  11. file — a document
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. deal — to handle
  16. court — of law
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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