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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: cell · foot · squash · roll · bay · scale · chair · mate

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chair — a leader
  16. roll — a list
  17. mate — a partner
  18. scale — in music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. roll — a cake
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cell — in a prison

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