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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: mark · ruler · mine · chest · rest · content · racket · cap

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. content — the amount
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — a trace
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — a break
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. content — happy
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chest — a box

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