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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. can — to be able to
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a document
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — in sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitch — completely
  17. file — a line of people
  18. tear — from crying

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