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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: key · roll · straw · band · chest · ruler · wake · game

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. roll — a list
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — a trail
  6. key — for a lock
  7. game — wild animals
  8. band — a music group
  9. key — in music
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. roll — a cake
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. roll — on a roll

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