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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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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 · cell · pound · land · rock · face · sharp · ruler

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rock — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to confront
  11. land — to come down
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — ground
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — a country
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rock — a stone

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