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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: track · racket · court · last · toast · mine · pit · chest

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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 — an explosive
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. court — for sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. toast — bread
  12. track — a song
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — of a king
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. track — a path
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of law
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  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