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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: chest · present · ball · snap · scale · bulb · race · racket

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ball — a great time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to click
  10. bulb — for light
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. scale — size or range
  14. race — the arms race
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — there
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — in music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. race — a contest
  22. chest — a box
  23. ball — a dance
  24. present — the time now

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