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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: court · craft · current · straw · rule · scale · stick · game

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. game — a match
  6. current — of water
  7. court — for sport
  8. rule — a law
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. current — happening now
  12. scale — in music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. court — of law
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rule — government
  17. current — electric
  18. court — of a king
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — boats
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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