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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: bore · bark · coach · cell · firm · kid · pitch · pit

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — completely
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — a company
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — to drill
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. firm — decided
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bore — to tire
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pitch — a sports field

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