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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.

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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: pound · chip · rest · bay · last · track · racket · row

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rest — a break
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — a path
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. chip — to eat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — final
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. row — a line
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rest — what's left

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