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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: mate · hand · racket · foot · rule · kick

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — a partner
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rule — a law
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rule — government

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