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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 · deal · row · stem · cold · rule · snap · board

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — a line
  7. cold — not warm
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rule — a law
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rule — government
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — to paddle
  17. snap — to click
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. deal — to handle
  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