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

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tube — a container
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pitch — completely
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — to rip

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