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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 116 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: straw · ruler · hide · ball · leaves · land · rule · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rule — government
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — ground
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. land — a country
  24. rule — to rule out

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