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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rule — a law
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. board — to get on
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a ring
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a music group
  24. ruler — for measuring

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