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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: arm · straw · game · ruler · pass · wound · pitcher · rule

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. game — a match
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rule — government
  12. game — wild animals
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — an injury

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