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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: rule · hand · mine · trunk · present · file · ruler · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a document
  3. rule — government
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rule — a law
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. hand — help
  12. present — the time now
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rest — a break
  16. present — a gift
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a tool
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. present — there
  24. hand — part of the body

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