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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 · nail · ruler · shower · rule · deal · current · fork

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. shower — to wash
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. current — of water
  8. fork — in a road
  9. current — electric
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. date — the fruit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — happening now
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. deal — an agreement

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