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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: chest · spell · ball · fall · bowl · chip · content · cap

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fall — the season
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spell — letters
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spell — magic
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spell — a short time
  24. content — happy

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