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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: sharp · tear · pound · cap · bowl · track · pop · racket

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a song
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. track — to keep track
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pound — a weight
  16. track — a path
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pop — music
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cap — of ice
  24. sharp — with an edge

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