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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 · nail · clip · dip · ruler · ground · rash · staff

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ground — a position
  13. rash — a series
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ground — the earth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. game — wild animals
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. staff — employees
  23. dip — to dunk
  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