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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 124 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: file · wake · deal · land · staff · court · ruler · rule

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — to come down
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. deal — to handle
  12. file — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. rule — government
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — for sport
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. court — of law
  22. rule — a law
  23. staff — a stick
  24. deal — an agreement

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