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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: march · rule · leaves · content · game · staff · squash · suit

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. squash — the sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — the month
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — employees
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. suit — clothes
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. content — the amount
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. squash — to crush
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rule — government
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. staff — employees
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. suit — in cards
  23. rule — a law
  24. leaves — to go away

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