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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: chair · bay · saw · present · shower · scale · lean · degree

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — there
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — temperature
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. shower — rain
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. scale — in music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. present — a gift
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — size or range
  24. degree — an amount

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