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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.

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: cap · scale · cell · fine · hide · rash · current · chip

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fine — all right
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — of water
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — on the skin

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