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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: ruler · fall · rule · straw · chest · deal

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — government
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fall — the season
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — a law
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. deal — a big deal
  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