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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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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 · pitch · stick · spring · chair · cap · kick · snap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. kick — in football
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spring — of water
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — completely

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