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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: straw · can · land · game · root · rule · deal · snap

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — to be able to
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rule — a law
  6. can — a tin
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. snap — to click
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. deal — to handle
  14. root — the cause
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rule — government
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a kind of play

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