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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: ruler · chair · racket · shower · hand · scale · calf · ball

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a dance
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — rain
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chair — a leader
  19. scale — in music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. hand — help
  24. calf — a young animal

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