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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: file · scale · rest · game · cap · fall · leaves · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fall — the season
  5. rule — a law
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — what's left
  8. scale — in music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. game — wild animals
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. game — a match
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. file — a document
  24. fall — to drop

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