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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: scale · mate · last · lie · firm · chair · season · roll

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — a cake
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — to recline
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. scale — in music
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — of the year
  12. chair — a leader
  13. roll — a list
  14. last — finally
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. firm — decided

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