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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: rash · racket · lie · wave · chip · ball · cap · content

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cap — of ice
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — happy
  16. ball — a dance
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rash — a series
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. content — the amount
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rash — hasty

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