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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — government
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. board — to get on
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. march — the month
  17. board — a committee
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. cold — an illness

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