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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · bowl · tube · row · pitcher · kick · net · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. kick — in football
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tube — a container
  14. net — after costs
  15. row — a line
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. row — to paddle
  21. net — for catching
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. tube — the underground

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