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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 116 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: game · mate · nail · wake · lash · ruler · file · rule

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — a match
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. file — a document
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rule — government
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rule — a law
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mate — to breed
  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