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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: coach · nail · band · cue · chair · scale · clip · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. clip — to cut
  4. scale — size or range
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — a signal
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cue — a hint
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — for pool
  13. band — a music group
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — a video
  20. march — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. nail — on a finger

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