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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 120 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: mouse · staff · scale · shower · perch · chip · lean · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — thin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. shower — to wash
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — in music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. staff — employees
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. perch — for a bird

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