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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.

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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: wake · last · kick · foot · pitcher · safe · mark · tear

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mark — a trace
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — finally
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kick — in football

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