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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: chair · bore · scale · net · coach · lean · charge · cue

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cue — a signal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bore — to drill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — size or range
  14. net — for catching
  15. cue — a hint
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. scale — in music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. charge — in control
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. charge — a price

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