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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: game · scale · chip · patient · can · pound · ball · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — size or range
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. board — to get on
  7. can — to be able to
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — a committee
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. game — a match
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ball — a dance
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — to eat
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. scale — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chip — for betting
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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