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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.

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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 · foot · clip · mark · degree · wave · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. chip — to eat
  3. clip — a video
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. foot — a measure
  16. chip — for betting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ball — a great time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — to cut
  24. ball — a dance

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