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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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468
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 · rule · pitcher · roll · chip · wound · ruler · staff

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. roll — a cake
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rule — government
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. roll — a list
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rule — a law
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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