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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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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: cue · foot · cell · scale · chair · pass · mate · fall

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fall — the season
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cue — a hint
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — for pool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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