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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: craft · content · pop · game · rule · ruler · squash · race

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rule — a law
  7. pop — music
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — a match
  17. content — happy
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. craft — boats
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. content — the amount
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. game — wild animals

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