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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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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: season · kid · scale · chest · cue · chip · dip · bay

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. chip — to eat
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. scale — size or range
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. season — of the year
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cue — a signal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. dip — a sauce

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