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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: kick · face · rock · racket · land · spell · track · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. chair — a leader
  2. track — a path
  3. kick — in football
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spell — magic
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. track — a song
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. land — ground
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. land — a country
  16. spell — a short time
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rock — a stone
  21. land — to come down
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spell — letters
  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