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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 120 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: row · ruler · race · rule · face · coach · patient · land

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. face — to confront
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. row — to paddle
  7. face — part of the head
  8. race — humankind
  9. row — a line
  10. race — the arms race
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. race — a contest
  14. rule — government
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. face — to point toward
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — a country
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ruler — for measuring

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