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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
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: race · swing · net · chair · bat · patient · scale · roll

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. race — humankind
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. race — a contest
  13. roll — a list
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. race — the arms race
  18. net — in sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. net — after costs
  24. chair — a leader

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