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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: march · file · kid · ball · perch · jam · chip · bank

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — for money
  3. ball — a dance
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. file — a tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bank — of a river
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. file — a document
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chip — for betting

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