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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: tear · track · degree · pound · racket · rash · march · mine

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pound — a weight
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — a series
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mine — for digging
  9. track — a song
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. track — a path
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. degree — temperature
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — the month
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — hasty

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