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

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. kick — in football
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hand — in cards
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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