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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: hand · pop · pit · fall · scale · suit · can · chair

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pop — music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pit — in a race
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chair — a leader
  9. can — to be able to
  10. scale — in music
  11. pop — soda
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pit — a hole
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hand — help

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