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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: racket · plane · capital · hide · tear · kick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. kick — in football
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tear — to rip
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — in geometry

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