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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 120 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 · last · ground · mark · prune · chest · foot · key

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a grade
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — to go on
  14. key — in music
  15. chest — a box
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. last — final
  24. key — for a lock

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