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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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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: bat · ruler · safe · stock · straw · current · game · kick

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. game — a match
  9. current — electric
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kick — in football
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. current — of water
  23. kick — with a leg
  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