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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: ground · mine · mouse · object · drill · stick · rule · racket

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — an aim
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rule — government
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — army training
  14. object — to protest
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — a position
  20. drill — a practice
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ground — the earth
  24. object — a thing

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