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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · staff · ground · chest · foot · mate · content · racket

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mate — a partner
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a friend
  8. foot — a measure
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chest — of your body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. staff — employees
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ball — a dance
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ground — the earth

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