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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: chair · chest · plane · content · bound · degree · kick · nail

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. content — happy
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. content — the amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kick — in football
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — a box
  24. bound — obliged

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