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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: cold · fork · rule · ruler · spell · rest · pit · dip

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rule — government
  21. rest — a break
  22. spell — a short time
  23. dip — a sauce
  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