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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: object · press · foot · mark · clip · racket · pound · rash

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — to push
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — newspapers
  11. object — an aim
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. foot — a measure
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pound — a weight
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rash — on the skin

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