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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: chest · rule · ruler · plane · scale · fork

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. scale — in music
  4. chest — a box
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — a law
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rule — government
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool

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