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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 116 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: ruler · last · net · game · bulb · band · squash · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — a match
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. squash — the sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — a line
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. net — for catching
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — after costs
  22. last — final
  23. net — in sport
  24. bulb — of a plant

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