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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: ground · band · chip · game · saw · degree · ruler · lash

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. ground — a position
  6. chip — to eat
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. band — a music group
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a match
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — wild animals
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chip — in a computer

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