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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: pitch · tear · foot · bark · bowl · shower · key · perch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bark — to shout
  9. foot — a measure
  10. key — for a lock
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. key — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — to wash
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tear — from crying

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