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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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Word bank
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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: foot · rule · ground · dip · chest · chip · coach · nail

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. chest — a box
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — for betting
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ground — a position
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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