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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. scale — in music
  4. can — a tin
  5. rule — government
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. game — a match
  9. rule — a law
  10. track — a song
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spring — a coil
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. can — a tin
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chip — to eat
  22. can — to be able to
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chip — for betting

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