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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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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: foot · wind · racket · mine · squash · pound · cap · mark

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cap — a hat
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mark — a trace
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — for digging
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. squash — to crush

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