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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: bore · stick · straw · pass · lie · charge · field · pitch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bore — to tire
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. lie — to recline
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. charge — in control

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