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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 120 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
468
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: bat · scale · chair · club · board · rash · bore · cap

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rash — a series
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. club — for dancing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. board — a committee
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — to get on
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cap — a lid
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — in music
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — a group
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bat — in an idiom

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