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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rule — government
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — a law
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. game — wild animals
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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