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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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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: row · lash · scale · ruler · rule · face · land · cold

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. land — ground
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — a law
  9. row — to paddle
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — government
  15. land — a country
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — to come down
  20. scale — in music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — a line
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. row — a quarrel

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