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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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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: tear · chip · track · shower · pitcher · kick · bowl · club

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — a song
  8. chip — to eat
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. track — a path
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chip — for betting
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bowl — a football final

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