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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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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: racket · cap · rush · sharp · rash · rule · tear · hand

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hand — help
  4. sharp — clever
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cap — a lid
  24. racket — for tennis

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