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

Word bank: cell · hide · scale · wind · track · rule

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — government
  3. track — a path
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. scale — in music
  14. rule — a law
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cell — in a prison

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