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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: rule · club · dip · squash · perch · content · patient · pop

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — for golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — for dancing
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pop — music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. dip — to sink
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — a group
  20. pop — to visit
  21. content — happy
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. perch — the fish

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