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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: tear · safe · kid · pitcher · bear · kick · ground · march

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tear — to rip
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. ground — crushed
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — the month
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — the month
  21. kid — child
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. march — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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