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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: bat · object · mine · coach · chip · ruler · chest · date

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. object — a thing
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — a box
  15. chip — for betting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. date — the fruit
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chest — of your body

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