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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: bay · chair · temple · hand · squash · chest · mouse · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hand — help
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — a box
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rule — government
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — the vegetable

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