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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cap · spell · rule · mine · chair · ruler · lean · drill

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spell — magic
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cap — of ice
  21. drill — army training
  22. rule — government
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — letters

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