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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · bulb · rule · hide · chair · land · field · ruler

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chair — a leader
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. rule — government
  10. land — a country
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. key — in music
  13. land — ground
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. field — for sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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