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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: rule · ruler · ball · cell · press · lie · mine · drill

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. rule — a law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rule — government
  14. press — to push
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — a publisher

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