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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 116 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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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: pound · rush · pass · stick · land · racket · kick · capital

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. land — ground
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — a country
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. capital — a big letter

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