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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: drill · chair · content · chip · key · spring · ruler · bowl

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chip — to eat
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. content — happy
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. drill — army training
  14. spring — of water
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — the amount
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. key — in music
  24. drill — the tool

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