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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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: racket · present · leaves · chest · spring · lie · foot · track

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. present — there
  4. chest — of your body
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. track — a path
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lie — to recline
  11. spring — of water
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chest — a box
  24. present — a gift

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