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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: rule · rush · date · scale · jam · snap · track · net

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. scale — in music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rule — a law
  14. net — after costs
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — for catching
  18. date — the fruit
  19. snap — to click
  20. track — a path
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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