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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: kid · bore · pitch · current · object · toast · fan · cold

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. toast — bread
  3. object — a thing
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. current — happening now
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — an aim
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — child
  21. cold — not warm
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — of water

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