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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: ruler · ground · rule · arm · content · staff · board · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. key — for a lock
  2. ground — crushed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — the amount
  6. board — to get on
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — the earth
  9. key — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. board — a committee
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. staff — employees
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ground — a position
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rule — government
  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