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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: chair · cue · scale · season · pop · chest · mate · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — to visit
  3. season — of the year
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — a leader
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. band — a ring
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chest — a box
  23. scale — in music
  24. pop — soda

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