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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: bat · jam · file · bore · chair · lean · scale · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — in music
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. file — a tool
  17. lean — to bend
  18. file — a document
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lean — thin
  21. bore — to drill
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bat — for baseball

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