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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: scale · rule · mouse · squash · tube · ground · ball · clip

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rule — a law
  4. ground — a position
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. scale — in music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. clip — a video
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — to crush
  18. ground — crushed
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. squash — the sport
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — a container
  24. squash — the vegetable

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