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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: nail · chair · scale · cue · last · bore · trunk · degree

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — for pool
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — finally
  7. scale — size or range
  8. degree — temperature
  9. last — to go on
  10. bore — to drill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. degree — an amount
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. last — final
  21. degree — from a university
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bore — to tire
  24. nail — on a finger

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