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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: rush · racket · firm · trunk · game · capital · rock · rash

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. firm — decided
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — money
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rock — a stone
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rock — music
  9. capital — a city
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — a match
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. firm — steady
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rush — hurry
  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