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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: chip · rest · capital · scale · pop · stick · shower · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. scale — in music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — rain
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pop — soda
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a ring
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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