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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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Word bank
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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 · pit · march · toast · row · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. row — a line
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — bread
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a hole
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. march — the month

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