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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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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: racket · cell · squash · bank · mate · field · rest · key

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cell — in biology
  7. field — for sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — farmland
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rest — a break
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cell — a phone
  23. field — a subject
  24. bank — for money

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