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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: scale · chip · net · content · pound · straw · wind · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pound — a weight
  6. content — happy
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. scale — in music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chip — for betting
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. net — after costs

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