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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: ruler · kick · bank · last · content · chest · file · leaves

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chest — a box
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. last — finally
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. last — to go on
  23. kick — in football
  24. file — a document

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