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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 · pop · rush · content · wind · cue · stand · fine

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rush — hurry
  3. content — the amount
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — happy
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pop — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. fine — high quality
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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