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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — a country
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. plane — a tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. capital — money
  17. land — ground
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rest — what's left

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