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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: land · bowl · track · rest · kick · chest · racket · stand

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. kick — in football
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chest — a box
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — a break
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. track — a path
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — a country
  21. stand — to bear
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chest — of your body

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