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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.

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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: fork · game · spell · stand · shower · net · chair · scale

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — in music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spell — magic
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. net — for catching
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — after costs
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. shower — rain
  19. game — a match
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. scale — size or range
  23. net — in sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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