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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 120 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: bore · pound · club · mug · last · hand · pass · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. last — final
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pass — a permit
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mug — a face
  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