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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: scale · saw · chest · toast · chair · jam · row · ground

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ground — a position
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. scale — in music
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chair — a leader
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. toast — bread
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. scale — size or range
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — the earth
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chest — a box
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — to paddle

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