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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: fall · safe · current · scale · band · game · cold · chair

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. game — a match
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — of water
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — electric
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fall — the season
  24. cold — an illness

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