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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: squash · track · kid · mouse · content · game · arm · temple

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — child
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — happy
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — to tease
  13. track — a path
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. track — to keep track
  18. squash — to crush
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. track — a song
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — a match

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