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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 · wake · wound · stock · chair · board · court · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. court — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — shares
  6. chair — a leader
  7. court — of law
  8. stock — goods
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. scale — in music
  11. toast — bread
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. scale — size or range
  20. board — to get on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a committee
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wound — an injury

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