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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: chip · bat · drill · content · craft · chair · field · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chip — for betting
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. content — happy
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. drill — a practice
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — to eat
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. craft — boats
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. field — for sport

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