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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: squash · field · club · ruler · rule · saw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rule — a law
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. field — for sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rule — government
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — to crush
  12. club — for golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. saw — the tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. club — a group

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