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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: cue · squash · chip · fall · row · craft · board · scale

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. craft — boats
  3. fall — to drop
  4. board — a committee
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. squash — to crush
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — the season
  14. chip — for betting
  15. board — to get on
  16. cue — for pool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — a skill
  23. squash — the sport
  24. scale — for weighing

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