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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 · press · straw · tear · deal · ruler · chip · current

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. tear — from crying
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. tear — from crying
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. press — newspapers
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — to rip
  14. press — to push
  15. current — electric
  16. game — a match
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. deal — to handle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. current — of water
  23. chip — for betting
  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