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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 116 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: game · racket · leaves · mine · rule · firm · snap · cap

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rule — government
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — a law
  12. firm — steady
  13. snap — to click
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. firm — a company
  24. mine — an explosive

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