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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lean — thin
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fine — high quality
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. court — of law
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fine — all right
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. court — of a king
  24. cell — in a prison

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