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

Word bank: mouse · ruler · content · chest · rest · cabinet

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. content — the amount
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — a box

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