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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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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: track · pound · scale · hide · pass · net · hand · wake

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. scale — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pound — a weight
  24. hand — help

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