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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: ruler · mine · content · lean · shower · club · game · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. club — for golf
  5. mine — for digging
  6. club — a group
  7. content — happy
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. shower — rain
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. game — wild animals
  14. content — the amount
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. club — for dancing
  19. game — a match
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lean — thin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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