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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — a country
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. race — a contest
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — the amount
  14. race — humankind
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. land — to come down
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mine — for digging
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. race — the arms race
  23. land — ground
  24. bank — for money

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