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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: scale · perch · pound · fall · hand · chair · calf · toast

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — in cards
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — bread
  6. fall — to drop
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fall — the season
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — a weight
  21. scale — in music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — help
  24. calf — a young animal

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