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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: kick · racket · present · deal · land · pitcher · fall · craft

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. present — the time now
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. present — a gift
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — boats
  14. present — there
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. land — ground
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — a big deal

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