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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: can · scale · wave · chip · cold · nail · file · pitcher

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. can — a tin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chip — to eat
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. scale — in music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  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