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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: ruler · fan · straw · race · pitch · rule · chair · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rule — government
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. spring — of water
  10. rule — a law
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — the season
  15. chair — a leader
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. race — humankind

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