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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: tear · bear · foot · kick · pit · cap

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — of ice
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cap — a hat
  9. kick — in football
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — in a race
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — a lid

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