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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.

Words on the sheet
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: cabinet · kick · club · foot · pitcher · bound · tear · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — a group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — obliged
  11. foot — a measure
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — tied together
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kick — in football
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. tear — from crying
  22. club — for golf
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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