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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 · stick · tear · rule · rest · chest · key · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chest — a box
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — government
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — in music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rule — a law
  23. key — for a lock
  24. ruler — for measuring

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