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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: capital · rest · racket · lean · track · plane · bat · kick

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rest — a break
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lean — thin
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. capital — money
  12. track — a path
  13. kick — in football
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bat — the animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. track — a song
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — to keep track

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