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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: game · kick · mouse · content · wake · stick · deal · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — in football
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. content — happy
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. content — the amount
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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