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

Word bank: pitch · bowl · tear · drill · kick · foot

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kick — in football
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. foot — a measure
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  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