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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — in football
  4. roll — a list
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. land — to come down
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chest — a box
  11. kid — to tease
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — for betting
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kid — child
  20. roll — a cake
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — music
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. chest — of your body

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