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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: mug · lie · band · chest · rule · ruler · land · pit

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. land — a country
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. band — a music group
  6. land — to come down
  7. chest — a box
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — ground
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mug — a face
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rule — a law
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rule — government
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ruler — a monarch

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