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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: perch · ruler · present · mate · kid · rule · season · band

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rule — a law
  3. season — of the year
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mate — a partner
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. present — there
  13. rule — government
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. present — the time now
  17. mate — a friend
  18. present — a gift
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — child
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — to add flavour

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