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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: press · scale · bound · racket · pound · cap · rule · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — a lid
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bound — certain
  5. press — a publisher
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — a weight
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. press — to push
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rule — a law
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pound — to hit hard

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