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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 · bat · firm · fall · stick · ruler · court · ball

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. firm — decided
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — a company
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ball — a dance
  20. firm — steady
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chest — a box
  23. court — of law
  24. fall — the season

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