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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 · snap · hide · dip · stick · wax · game · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. game — a match
  9. scale — in music
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — to grow
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. snap — to click
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chair — to sit on

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