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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · chair · scale · wax · firm · pitch · mine · squash

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — the sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. squash — to crush
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitch — completely

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