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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: rule · squash · fan · drill · track · fork · band · chip

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a ring
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. drill — army training
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. drill — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rule — government

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