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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: ruler · rock · cell · foot · chip · leaves · land · date

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — to come down
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. land — a country
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rock — music
  14. land — ground
  15. rock — a stone
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. foot — the bottom
  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