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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: chip · wax · bat · stick · ruler · snap · lean · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. snap — to click
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lean — thin
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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