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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: mine · cell · track · chip · net · scale · shower · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — to wash
  5. track — a path
  6. scale — in music
  7. net — in sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — to crush
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. track — to keep track
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chip — for betting
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chip — to eat

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