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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 120 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 · mine · content · rush · kid · ruler · firm · cue

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. game — wild animals
  6. kid — child
  7. game — a match
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. firm — a company
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. firm — decided
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — steady
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — to hurry

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