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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: stem · suit · court · chip · ruler · pitch · arm · kid

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. court — of law
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stem — to come from
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. court — for sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. court — of a king
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. suit — to fit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. suit — clothes
  22. kid — child
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kid — to tease

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