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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. file — a tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rule — a law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rash — a series
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chip — to eat
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wax — to grow
  18. roll — a list
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a document
  24. wax — for sculpting

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