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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.

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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: chip · deal · calf · clip · bowl · pop · wind · scale

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chip — for betting
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — soda
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. scale — in music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — a video
  24. pop — music

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