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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 · court · band · deal · chair · mug · saw · wind

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mug — a cup
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of law
  9. mug — to rob
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mug — a face
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. band — a music group
  24. deal — an agreement

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