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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 116 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: club · face · patient · pitcher · ruler · chair · can · rule

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chair — a leader
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rule — a law
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rule — government
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. face — to confront
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — for dancing
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — a group
  24. chair — a professorship

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