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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: ruler · board · rule · squash · chip · foot · arm · hide

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — to get on
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rule — government
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. board — a committee
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. squash — to crush
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. foot — the bottom

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