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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pop — music
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. bank — of a river
  12. content — the amount
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. roll — a list
  16. pop — to visit
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. bank — for money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. roll — on a roll

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