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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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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: rash · last · stock · racket · hand · mine · saw · temple

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — goods
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — final
  20. rash — a series
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stock — shares

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