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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: rest · roll · nail · bat · snap · track · squash · scale

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. squash — to crush
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — a path
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. track — a song
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. scale — in music
  24. roll — a cake

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