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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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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: racket · mug · track · pound · spring · bat · stand · content

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mug — a cup
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bat — the animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mug — a face
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. spring — of water
  19. stand — to bear
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. spring — the season
  24. bat — for baseball

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