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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: coach · ruler · fine · cell · trunk · rock · chest · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cell — a phone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — a box
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rock — music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kid — child
  23. fine — all right
  24. rock — a stone

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