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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 120 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: game · key · foot · bank · cue · kid · tear · pitch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — a measure
  3. key — in music
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a match
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — completely
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. key — the most important part
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bank — for money
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bank — of a river
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. kid — child

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