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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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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: mate · chest · toast · racket · ball · spell · fork · plane

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — a box
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spell — magic
  14. toast — bread
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ball — a dance
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — a short time
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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