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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 120 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 · deal · trunk · rest · capital · kick · land · pop

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — ground
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pop — soda
  10. capital — a city
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. land — to come down
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rest — what's left

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