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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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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: rule · plane · bat · roll · game · chip · scale · wind

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. plane — a tool
  6. game — a match
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chip — to eat
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rule — government
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rule — a law
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — wild animals

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