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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · chair · press · present · club · mine · file · row

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. present — the time now
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — to push
  5. club — a group
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chair — a leader
  8. present — a gift
  9. club — for dancing
  10. file — a document
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. club — for golf
  16. mine — for digging
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. file — a tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — there
  22. scale — in music
  23. press — a publisher
  24. row — a line

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