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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · rock · net · bark · drill · tear · calf · pitch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bark — to shout
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — in sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. drill — army training
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — to rip

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