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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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: game · mine · bat · wound · pass · chip · rock · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — music
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — in music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — a match
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — an injury

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