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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: wave · rule · chair · cell · scale · wake · net · perch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rule — government
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rule — a law
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — for catching
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. scale — in music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — after costs
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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