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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. game — wild animals
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. game — a match
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wound — an injury
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. game — a kind of play

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