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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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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: pop · chest · nail · row · toast · rule · court · lean

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. court — for sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — bread
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — of a king
  13. rule — government
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. court — of law
  16. row — to paddle
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — a law
  23. lean — to bend
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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