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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 · hand · pit · board · rush · deal · pitcher · file

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — to rip
  9. board — a committee
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. file — a document
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — hurry
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — a hole

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