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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: content · board · chip · wound · foot · scale · cell · rest

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — size or range
  5. board — to get on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. content — the amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cell — in biology
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chip — for betting
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rest — a break
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. content — happy
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. scale — in music
  23. board — a committee
  24. rest — what's left

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