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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 120 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: chest · rock · rule · charge · content · ruler

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — a price
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rule — government
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — a box

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