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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · wave · scale · bass · perch · chair · pitcher · chest

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chair — a leader
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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