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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: ruler · cap · chip · scale · wound · dip · wave · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. scale — in music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — for betting
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cap — of ice
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — an injury

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