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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. season — in sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. land — a country
  5. band — a ring
  6. charge — in control
  7. race — humankind
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — shares
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — to come down
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. band — a music group
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. race — a contest
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. season — of the year

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