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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
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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: squash · chair · spell · club · mine · scale · ruler · drill

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chair — a leader
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spell — letters
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — army training
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. drill — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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