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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: temple · key · mine · rest · file · racket · cell · cabinet

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in biology
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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