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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 · object · content · scale · land · club · roll · jam

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. scale — in music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. roll — a cake
  7. object — to protest
  8. roll — a list
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. content — the amount
  12. club — for dancing
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. object — a thing
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. object — an aim
  23. scale — size or range
  24. squash — the sport

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