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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 116 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: bore · wind · season · ground · hand · field · cue · pitch

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cue — a hint
  5. field — for sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — a signal
  9. field — farmland
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ground — the earth
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bore — to tire
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — help
  18. ground — a position
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. field — a subject
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. season — in sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cue — for pool

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