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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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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: chair · scale · mouse · stick · mark · rest

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mark — a trace
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. rest — a break

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