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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: firm · last · rush · mine · land · racket · bass · nail

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — ground
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — final
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — a country
  8. firm — a company
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. firm — steady
  12. land — to come down
  13. firm — decided
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. last — finally
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rush — a thrill

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