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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: root · ruler · track · mug · game · swing · mine · saw

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. root — the cause
  4. track — a song
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mug — a cup
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. track — a path
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. track — to keep track
  20. root — of a word
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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