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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: content · trunk · safe · ruler · chip · row · pitch · court

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — happy
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chip — for betting
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of a king
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. court — of law
  22. ruler — for measuring
  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