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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: scale · rush · last · chair · straw · club · present · stock

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. present — a gift
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rush — hurry
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — final
  11. present — the time now
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — finally
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. present — there

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