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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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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: rest · court · tear · racket · chest · toast

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — a box
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — of a king
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — bread
  17. rest — what's left
  18. racket — for tennis

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