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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.

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: kid · dip · track · pound · season · firm · racket · sharp

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. pound — a weight
  5. firm — decided
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a path
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. track — a song
  12. season — in sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. firm — a company
  21. dip — to sink
  22. track — to keep track
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. firm — steady

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