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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: game · date · content · roll · bear · pound · lean · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. date — the fruit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. game — a match
  11. pound — a weight
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rule — government
  14. bear — the animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. roll — a list
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — happy
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. roll — a cake

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