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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 · craft · swing · pound · sharp · pitcher · bat

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. craft — boats
  12. kid — child
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kid — to tease
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bat — the animal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — with an edge

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