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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 · net · tube · date · pitch · temple

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tube — a container
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — after costs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tear — to rip
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tube — the underground
  17. date — the fruit
  18. net — in sport

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