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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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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 · tear · drill · object · pound · bay · bowl · rush

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. object — to protest
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. object — an aim
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. object — a thing
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. drill — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — army training
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — to rip
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rush — to hurry

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