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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: scale · rush · net · saw · hand · chair · ruler · safe

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. net — for catching
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. hand — help
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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