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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 · scale · ruler · mine · object · spell · cap · board

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. game — a match
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. scale — in music
  12. board — to get on
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. cap — a hat

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