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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 · capital · hand · racket · bowl · chest · spell · toast

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spell — a short time
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a great time
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — magic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spell — letters
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — help
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ball — a dance
  22. capital — money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. capital — a big letter

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