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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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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: chest · rash · pit · bound · fan · kick · arm · ruler

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — in football
  4. rash — a series
  5. bound — certain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — hasty
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bound — obliged
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — on the skin

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