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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 116 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: lean · chair · craft · rest · ball · scale · pitcher · tear

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — from crying
  12. scale — in music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. craft — a skill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rest — a break
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — boats
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lean — thin

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