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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 120 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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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: wind · track · straw · swing · bowl · chip · ruler · game

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. swing — in golf
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wind — to turn a key

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