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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 · pitch · foot · roll · staff · ruler · straw · hand

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. roll — a list
  4. hand — help
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pitch — completely
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. game — wild animals
  22. staff — employees
  23. roll — a cake
  24. game — a match

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