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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · scale · fork · rule · pitcher · ruler · arm · mine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rule — government
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. shower — rain
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. scale — in music
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — a law

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