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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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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: scale · shower · hand · chest · ruler · chair · fan · kick

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — in music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chest — a box
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — help
  24. chair — a professorship

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