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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: hand · chest · present · ruler · bowl · mark · cell · pop

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. present — the time now
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pop — soda
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. present — there
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — a gift

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