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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: ruler · chip · pass · chest · bulb · lie · court · hand

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hand — help
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. court — of a king
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — of law
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. court — for sport

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