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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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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: object · mark · game · pound · scale · hide · racket · tear

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — wild animals
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — a weight
  11. object — a thing
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a match
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. object — an aim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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