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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · kick · fine · stem · jam · rush · last · racket

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — to go on
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. stem — to come from
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — final
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. kick — in football
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. fine — high quality

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