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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 · ground · mate · foot · fall · rest · kick · branch

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fall — the season
  3. mate — a friend
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — a break
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — a division
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mate — to breed
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. foot — a measure

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