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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: racket · date · craft · chest · race · spell · cell · stand

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — magic
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. race — the arms race
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chest — a box
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cell — a phone
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. date — the fruit
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — on the calendar

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