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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: row · rock · kick · racket · court · rest · land · band

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. kick — in football
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. court — of law
  5. row — a line
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a music group
  9. rock — music
  10. rest — a break
  11. land — to come down
  12. band — a ring
  13. land — ground
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — for sport
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rock — a stone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rest — what's left
  24. land — a country

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