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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 · cap · mug · bark · land · rush · scale · chair

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mug — a face
  4. land — ground
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chip — to eat

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