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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: row · land · hand · vault · chip · wave · scale · sharp

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — ground
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — in music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. row — to paddle
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hand — help
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. vault — a safe
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chip — for betting

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