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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: suit · chest · spell · racket · chair · game · date · stick

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — in cards
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spell — magic
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. suit — clothes
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chest — a box
  23. suit — to fit
  24. chair — a professorship

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