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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · mine · hand · field · wave · object · game · temple

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — a match
  14. mine — for digging
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — a subject
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. game — wild animals
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. field — farmland

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