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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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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: kid · last · sharp · chip · content · stem · ruler · hand

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. last — final
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. content — happy
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chip — to eat
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stem — of a plant

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