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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: ruler · root · rule · cell · cap · bound · kid · squash

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cap — a hat
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cell — in biology
  6. root — of a word
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. root — the cause
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rule — government
  17. bound — certain
  18. kid — child
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cap — a lid
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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