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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — a line
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — to paddle
  14. net — for catching
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. net — after costs
  23. hand — help
  24. kick — in football

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