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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · root · dip · rule · bat · chip · bulb · game

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — a match
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — the cause
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. dip — to sink
  15. scale — in music
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rule — government
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — wild animals
  24. scale — size or range

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