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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: lean · stock · chair · game · cabinet · craft · rest · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rest — a break
  5. lean — to bend
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stock — goods
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — shares
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — thin
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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