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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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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: file · wind · hide · scale · chip · plane · pitcher · deal

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. deal — to handle
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a document
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chip — for betting
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chip — to eat
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. file — a tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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