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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 120 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: court · game · lean · wind · chest · ruler · chair · trunk

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. court — of a king
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — a box
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lean — thin
  18. game — a match
  19. chair — a leader
  20. court — of law
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. game — a kind of play
  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