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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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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: bowl · press · content · kid · rule · ruler · leaves · row

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rule — a law
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. press — a publisher
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. press — to push
  15. row — a line
  16. rule — government
  17. content — happy
  18. kid — to tease
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. content — the amount
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kid — child
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rule — to rule out

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