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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: rash · squash · spell · jam · drill · track · fall · rule

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rash — hasty
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — government
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spell — letters
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rule — a law
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. fall — the season
  24. rash — a series

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