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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: band · rule · ruler · cabinet · shower · hand · stick · ground

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a ring
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — help
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — in cards

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