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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: ruler · land · bore · chip · rule · chest

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chest — a box
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rule — a law
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. land — to come down
  15. rule — government
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — a country
  18. chip — in a computer

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