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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: ground · rush · content · squash · suit · calf · stock · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rush — hurry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — the earth
  10. content — happy
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — a match
  14. suit — clothes
  15. content — the amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stock — shares
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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