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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: field · hide · racket · swing · bore · face · cap · pitch

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. face — to confront
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitch — completely
  17. face — to point toward
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cap — of ice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. swing — in golf

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