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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · chest · mine · temple · trunk · firm · last · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. firm — steady
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. key — for a lock
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. key — in music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chest — a box
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. firm — decided
  21. last — to go on
  22. firm — a company
  23. last — final
  24. mine — belonging to me

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