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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 · chest · rule · coach · kid · saw · toast · present

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. toast — bread
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. present — a gift
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. present — the time now
  12. rule — government
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — child
  18. present — there
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — to tease

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