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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: trunk · swing · cabinet · deal · bore · file · pitch · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. swing — in golf
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitch — completely
  6. kid — child
  7. swing — to play on
  8. deal — to handle
  9. swing — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. file — a line of people
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. file — a document
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bore — to drill

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