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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: pit · racket · rule · drill · present · stem · club · temple

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. drill — army training
  3. present — there
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. present — a gift
  12. pit — a hole
  13. present — the time now
  14. pit — in a race
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stem — to come from
  17. drill — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. drill — a practice
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — government

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