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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: track · kid · pitch · bore · tear · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — a path
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child

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