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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: hand · suit · spring · kick · race · racket · rush · net

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. net — for catching
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — hurry
  5. race — humankind
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. suit — in cards
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — after costs
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hand — help
  16. net — in sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. race — a contest
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — the arms race
  23. kick — in football
  24. suit — to fit

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