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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: chair · scale · straw · fine · wound · pit · mate · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spell — letters
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. scale — in music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pit — a hole
  24. scale — size or range

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