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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 116 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: chair · last · scale · suit · spell · bat · row · stock

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. scale — size or range
  3. spell — letters
  4. last — to go on
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. last — finally
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — final
  10. chair — a leader
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. row — to paddle
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — a line
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. chair — a professorship

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