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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: board · drill · saw · rush · content · squash · jam · rule

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rule — government
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. squash — to crush
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. content — happy
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. drill — army training
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. board — to get on
  24. rush — hurry

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