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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: object · tear · shower · pitcher · pitch · race

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — completely
  6. object — to protest
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. object — an aim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitch — a sports field

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