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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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468
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 · kick · pitch · dip · rash · chair · hand · stock

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rash — a series
  10. stock — shares
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — hasty
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — goods
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stock — a soup base

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