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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: ruler · kick · bank · last · content · chest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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 — videos and posts
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. content — happy
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — the amount
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. last — final
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — for money
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kick — with a leg
  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