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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 · key · racket · bound · sharp · mate · stand · pit

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. key — the most important part
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. sharp — exactly

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