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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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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: bowl · ruler · cold · lean · rule · arm

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rule — government
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rule — a law
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lean — to rest against

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