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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 120 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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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 · wind · bowl · tube · rule · band · charge · bat

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. charge — in control
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. band — a music group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rule — a law
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — a price
  18. band — a ring
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tube — a container
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chip — to eat

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