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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: bore · saw · cue · last · chair · scale · craft · fan

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — final
  4. craft — a skill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bore — to tire
  7. last — finally
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. scale — in music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bore — to drill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cue — a hint
  20. last — to go on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. craft — boats

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