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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: stick · charge · straw · bat · game · tube · rest · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. game — a match
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — in control
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tube — a container
  23. rest — a break
  24. charge — a price

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