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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: ball · last · spring · rule · chair · scale · club · press

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spring — the season
  4. last — to go on
  5. spring — a coil
  6. club — a group
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — finally
  9. rule — government
  10. club — for golf
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ball — a great time
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spring — of water
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. scale — in music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — a leader
  24. last — final

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