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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.

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: dip · march · club · face · chip · straw · saw · scale

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — to confront
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. scale — size or range
  6. march — the month
  7. club — for dancing
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — music
  10. club — for golf
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. scale — in music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. face — to point toward
  20. club — a group
  21. chip — to eat
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. march — the month

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