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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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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: trunk · kid · race · ruler · tear · rule · mine · pit

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — in a race
  8. race — humankind
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — a contest
  16. mine — for digging
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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