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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.

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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: ground · field · temple · cabinet · rush · clip · racket · board

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. clip — to cut
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — to get on
  14. clip — a video
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — farmland
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — a subject

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