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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · hand · rush · foot · bat · kick · fork · racket

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hand — help
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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