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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: drill · land · net · bay · tear · foot · hand · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — completely
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — army training
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hand — in cards
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. tear — to rip
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hand — part of the body

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