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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: mouse · chair · lash · content · fork · chest · dip · ruler

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chest — a box
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — happy
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fork — in a road
  24. dip — to dunk

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