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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: game · chest · racket · rush · pit · bark · straw · toast

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pit — a hole
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bark — to shout
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chest — a box
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. toast — bread
  24. rush — hurry

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