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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 · kick · pitcher · date · key · rest · drill · rock

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — a break
  7. rock — a stone
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — army training
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — the fruit
  16. key — in music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. date — on the calendar

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