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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 116 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 · track · rule · saw · pop · scale · ball · wind

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a dance
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pop — soda
  15. scale — in music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rule — government
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — a path
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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