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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: ruler · face · sharp · rule · nail · perch · deal · court

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. rule — government
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rule — a law
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. perch — the fish
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rule — to rule out
  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