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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: cue · pitch · lie · tear · can · kick · craft · bowl

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cue — a hint
  12. can — a tin
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  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