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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. file — a document
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — size or range
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. current — electric
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. file — a tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. file — a line of people
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chair — a leader
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. current — of water
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. band — a rubber band

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