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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · capital · perch · wave · deal · pop · ball · chair

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — in music
  3. capital — money
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — a leader
  9. capital — a city
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. ball — a great time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. deal — to handle

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