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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 120 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: land · foot · fall · chest · key · band · ruler · race

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — ground
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — to come down
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chest — a box
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fall — to drop
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. race — humankind

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