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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: ball · rest · racket · wound · date · lean · foot · chest

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to bend
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ball — a dance
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rest — what's left

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