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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: chip · rest · chest · mouse · wind · current · scale · net

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. current — of water
  6. chest — a box
  7. net — for catching
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. net — after costs
  18. chest — of your body
  19. current — electric
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. current — happening now
  22. rest — a break
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wind — moving air

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