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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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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 · stick · current

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

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. current — happening now
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. tear — from crying
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. current — of water
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. current — electric
  18. tear — to rip
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. capital — a big letter

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