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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 120 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: rock · bay · shower · wound · pitch · kid · tube · ruler

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. shower — rain
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tube — a container
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. shower — to wash

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