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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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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: chest · ball · content · mate · hand · prune · bound · racket

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chest — a box
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — the amount
  11. bound — certain
  12. mate — to breed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bound — obliged
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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