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

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

Answer key

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

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