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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: chip · rule · cap · ruler · land · shower

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. shower — rain
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. land — to come down
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rule — a law
  11. chip — for betting
  12. land — ground
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cap — a hat
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. land — a country

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