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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: key · bowl · racket · straw · track · trunk · chest · mate

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. key — the most important part
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — to breed
  9. key — for a lock
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. track — a song
  15. key — in music
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mate — a friend
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. racket — for tennis

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