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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: scale · march · chair · content · pass · cabinet · season · face

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. face — part of the head
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. march — music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chair — a leader
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. content — happy
  19. scale — size or range
  20. season — in sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. scale — in music
  24. march — the month

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