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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.

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

Word bank: key · racket · mine · land · band · snap · rule · cabinet

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rule — government
  5. key — the most important part
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. band — a music group
  8. snap — to click
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. key — in music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — for a lock
  15. land — to come down
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mine — for digging
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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