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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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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: cold · stock · rule · ruler · kid · cap · rest · charge

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rule — government
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — child
  7. cold — not warm
  8. charge — in control
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stock — goods
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. charge — a price
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cold — an illness
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stock — shares

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