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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. rule — a law
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — for digging
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rule — government
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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