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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 · rash · chair · chest · dip · present · field · wave

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. field — a subject
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rash — a series
  8. chest — a box
  9. field — for sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. scale — size or range
  12. present — the time now
  13. scale — in music
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. field — farmland
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — there
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chest — of your body
  24. dip — to sink

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