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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: chair · ball · shower · stem · toast · scale · present · rash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — bread
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rash — hasty
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ball — a dance
  18. present — a gift
  19. rash — a series
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. present — there
  23. stem — to come from
  24. scale — in music

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