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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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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: hand · rush · hide · fine · racket · root · capital · track

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — the cause
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. root — of a plant
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — hurry
  17. track — a song
  18. capital — money
  19. fine — all right
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — of a word
  23. capital — a city
  24. hand — help

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