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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 · rule · mark · land · chip · kick · date · rest

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — to eat
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mark — a trace
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — a break
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — a country
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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