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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lean — thin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. track — to keep track
  7. net — in sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lean — to bend
  11. object — an aim
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — a song
  16. chip — to eat
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — to rip
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chip — for betting
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — a path

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