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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 · chip · hide · game · ground · spring · rock · fork

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — a stone
  7. game — a match
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fork — in a road
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — wild animals
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — the season
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. scale — in music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rock — music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spring — of water

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