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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: pound · hand · pit · racket · game · bear

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pit — a hole
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — in a race
  13. hand — help
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. game — wild animals

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