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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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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: sharp · season · lean · chest · cue · fork · pitcher · scale

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lean — thin
  10. scale — in music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — a box
  16. cue — a hint
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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