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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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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: rule · wind · club · ruler · safe · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. content — the amount
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. club — a group
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government

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