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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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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: date · squash · lie · rule · ruler · fine · chest · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chest — a box
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rule — government
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chest — of your body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fine — all right
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. squash — the sport
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rule — a law
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lie — to recline
  24. date — on the calendar

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