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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 120 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: tear · safe · scale · fall · chip · swing · chair · season

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. season — of the year
  15. swing — in golf
  16. scale — in music
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fall — the season
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chip — to eat
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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