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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: track · row · scale · present · sharp · pound · cell · squash

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. track — a song
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — to keep track
  5. squash — to crush
  6. scale — in music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. present — the time now
  14. cell — in biology
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — the sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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