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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: scale · chip · toast · clip · saw · straw · jam · ball

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. saw — the tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. toast — bread
  6. ball — a dance
  7. scale — in music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a great time
  15. scale — size or range
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chip — to eat
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. jam — in traffic
  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