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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitch · bass · bore · hide · coach · date · cell · chair

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bore — to tire
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — completely
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cell — a phone
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cell — in biology
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — gave birth

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