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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: leaves · chest · net · content · game · kick · ruler · charge

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chest — of your body
  6. content — the amount
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chest — a box
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. charge — electricity
  12. kick — in football
  13. charge — a price
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — a match
  16. charge — in control
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — for catching
  24. ruler — for measuring

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