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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: wound · foot · racket · stand · kid · last · rash · land

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. land — ground
  5. last — finally
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wound — an injury
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — child
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rash — hasty
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — final
  20. stand — to bear
  21. foot — a measure
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  24. last — to go on

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