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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. row — to paddle
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — help
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — the time now
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. present — there
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. row — a line
  16. hand — in cards
  17. last — final
  18. ground — crushed
  19. present — a gift
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ground — a position
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. ground — the earth

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