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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: chest · hand · board · chip · foot · lean · tear · scale

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. scale — size or range
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. tear — to rip
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lean — thin
  16. foot — a measure
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lean — to bend
  23. scale — in music
  24. chest — a box

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