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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 · rash · cue · rule · tear · scale · lean · kid

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cue — a signal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — a hint
  12. scale — in music
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lean — thin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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