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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: cap · current · straw · ruler · mug · ground · scale · game

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. current — of water
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. current — electric
  10. cap — a hat
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ground — crushed
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — in music
  22. mug — a face
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — happening now

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