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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: rush · firm · last · content · rule · bowl · mine · pitcher

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — steady
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. firm — a company
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — government
  16. last — finally
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — the amount
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mine — for digging
  24. last — final

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