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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: mine · kick · rule · plane · ruler · file

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. file — a line of people
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. file — a document
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. file — a tool
  10. rule — government
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — for digging
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. 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