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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.

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: press · land · object · bark · sharp · racket · bass · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. land — ground
  3. object — an aim
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. press — to push
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bass — low music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hand — help
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. press — newspapers
  15. object — to protest
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. land — a country
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. press — a publisher
  22. object — a thing
  23. bass — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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