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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: rush · squash · pound · fan · roll · chair · file · scale

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. squash — to crush
  11. file — a document
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. roll — a list
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rush — a thrill

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