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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: chair · bay · game · pitch · drill · rock · file · bore

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. drill — a practice
  11. file — a document
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. file — a tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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