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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: kid · swing · cabinet · wound · leaves · pitch · bore · bay

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bore — to tire
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. swing — in golf
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bore — to drill

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