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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.

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: can · content · net · shower · ball · tear · date · pit

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pit — in a race
  12. net — for catching
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ball — a dance
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — rain
  20. date — the fruit
  21. content — the amount
  22. shower — to wash
  23. can — a tin
  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