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

Word bank: hide · racket · mate · spring · stand · object · race · pound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mate — a partner
  5. object — a thing
  6. pound — a weight
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. race — a contest
  10. stand — to bear
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. object — to protest
  16. spring — the season
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spring — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. object — an aim

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