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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · straw · bass · game · bat · degree · current · racket

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. current — of water
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. current — happening now
  12. rule — a law
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rule — government
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — temperature
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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