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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: chest · track · season · fine · coach · ball · arm · key

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — in music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a path
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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