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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 · fork · cell · toast · wake · chip

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. 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. cell — in a prison
  2. toast — bread
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cell — in biology
  7. scale — in music
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. 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