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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · cell · bark · mine · stand · last · racket · present

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. present — the time now
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. present — there
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — in music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. present — a gift
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bark — to shout
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — final

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