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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: track · bowl · stick · shower · pitch · chest · tear · jam

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. shower — rain
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. track — to keep track
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. track — a path
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. tear — to rip
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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