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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: cap · rash · row · bowl · rush · hand · racket · ground

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cap — a hat
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — help
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rush — hurry
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rash — a series
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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