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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: scale · club · stand · chair · clip · bowl

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. clip — to cut
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. scale — size or range
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — a group
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — in music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stand — for spectators

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