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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: chest · cell · kick · ball · key · band · ruler · saw

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chest — a box
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. band — a music group
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a ring
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ball — a dance
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — in music
  23. kick — in football
  24. cell — a phone

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