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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: perch · rule · bowl · mate · march · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mate — to breed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. perch — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — government
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bowl — a football final

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