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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: chair · file · rule · mine · patient · march · firm · ruler

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — for digging
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rule — a law
  11. firm — a company
  12. rule — government
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. firm — decided
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. march — music

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