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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: shower · squash · arm · track · chip · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. shower — rain
  8. track — a song
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. squash — to crush
  18. track — to keep track

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