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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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Word bank
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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: game · bowl · wind · rule · object · staff

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. staff — employees
  4. rule — government
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. object — to protest
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. object — an aim
  11. rule — a law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. game — a match
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. game — wild animals

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