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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: chest · ruler · court · rest · stick · spring · bank · last

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. court — of law
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — final
  6. court — for sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — of a king
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rest — what's left
  19. last — finally
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. last — to go on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chest — of your body

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