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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 116 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: net · scale · pit · racket · object · band · hide · last

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. object — a thing
  4. last — to go on
  5. object — an aim
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — final
  8. band — a ring
  9. last — finally
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — after costs
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. scale — in music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. net — in sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a hole

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