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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chest · row · kick · rock · land · scale · object

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. squash — the sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — a country
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. scale — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kick — in football
  15. row — a line
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. squash — to crush
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chest — a box
  22. object — an aim
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — music

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