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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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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 · pitcher · rule · face · straw · band · lean · hide

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rule — a law
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — to confront
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. face — part of the head
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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