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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: pop · ruler · spring · game · straw · march · ground · key

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. spring — the season
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. march — music
  7. pop — music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — a coil
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — crushed
  16. march — the month
  17. key — in music
  18. game — a match
  19. spring — of water
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — a position

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