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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — rain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — a trail
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mine — an explosive

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