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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: racket · rest · march · band · track · chest · snap · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. band — a music group
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a ring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. snap — to click
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — a box
  18. track — to keep track
  19. march — music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a song
  24. chest — of your body

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