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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: cue · last · bound · root · game · squash · can · content

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. content — happy
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — to crush
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. cue — a signal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. root — the cause
  10. game — wild animals
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — finally
  17. bound — certain
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — obliged
  20. root — of a word
  21. cue — for pool
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. root — of a plant

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