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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: rest · lie · chair · kick · land · foot · wound · chip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. foot — a measure
  6. land — ground
  7. kick — in football
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rest — a break
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — a country
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — to come down
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chair — to sit on

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