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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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Word bank
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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 · board · rule · field · rash · nail · object · cold

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — for sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — not warm
  5. field — a subject
  6. rash — a series
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rule — government
  14. board — to get on
  15. field — farmland
  16. board — a committee
  17. rash — hasty
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. object — a thing
  24. cold — the Cold War

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