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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 116 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: chip · ball · ground · band · object · pop · content · chair

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pop — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pop — to visit
  5. content — happy
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ball — a dance
  12. object — to protest
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a ring
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. band — a music group
  19. object — a thing
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — an aim
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chip — to eat
  24. content — the amount

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