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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · can · date · face · snap · scale · chest · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. scale — in music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to confront
  23. date — the fruit
  24. face — part of the head

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