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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 · row · hand · nail · perch · spell · scale · ball

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — letters
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spell — magic
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spell — a short time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. scale — in music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hand — help

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