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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 · race · hand · shower · row · foot · kick · plane

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hand — help
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. race — the arms race
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — in football
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. racket — for tennis

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