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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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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: swing · scale · cue · fall · chair · fine · pound · date

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cue — a hint
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. scale — size or range
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fine — all right
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. scale — in music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. swing — music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — a signal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — to play 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