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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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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 · cap · pitch · file · bound · present · prune · stick

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a line of people
  7. present — the time now
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — a gift
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — there
  23. cap — a lid
  24. file — a document

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