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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 · key · arm · racket · lie · court · capital · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — for a lock
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. court — of a king
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — to recline
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — a box
  19. capital — a city
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. key — in music
  22. capital — money
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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