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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: mate · fork · squash · rock · roll · content · rest · pass

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. content — happy
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rest — what's left
  7. roll — a list
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. squash — to crush
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rock — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. content — the amount
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fork — in a road
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mate — a friend

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