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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: board · ball · sharp · arm · file · cue · rush · ruler

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a dance
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. board — a committee
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ruler — for measuring

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