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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: board · kid · deal · ball · tear · pitch · shower · spell

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ball — a dance
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitch — completely
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a great time
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — letters
  21. kid — child
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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