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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: kid · lean · object · scale · chip · club · present · rule

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. lean — thin
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — to tease
  7. present — there
  8. object — to protest
  9. scale — in music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lean — to bend
  15. object — a thing
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — a law
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — for betting
  20. club — a group
  21. object — an aim
  22. club — for dancing
  23. kid — child
  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