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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · track · rule · chest · squash · wind · jam · rush

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chest — of your body
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wind — moving air
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — a match
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chest — a box
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rush — to hurry

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