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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.

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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: craft · scale · chair · file · cue · court · spell · bass

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bass — the fish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a document
  7. chair — a leader
  8. file — a tool
  9. craft — boats
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bass — low music
  18. craft — a skill
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — a short time
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. chair — a professorship

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