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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: chest · arm · cell · fine · craft · mate · content · ruler

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — boats
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chest — a box
  6. craft — a skill
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fine — all right
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mate — a partner
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. content — the amount
  24. cell — in a prison

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