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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: toast · perch · rule · scale · board · pitcher · snap · chair

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rule — government
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rule — a law
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. toast — bread
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. board — a committee
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chair — a leader
  16. board — to get on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — size or range
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. snap — to click
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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