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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: chair · bay · cap · pound · bear · scale · race · toast

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — a contest
  3. scale — in music
  4. cap — a lid
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — a weight
  12. scale — size or range
  13. race — humankind
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. toast — bread
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. race — the arms race
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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