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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · ball · charge · band · stand · file · craft · degree

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. band — a ring
  4. charge — electricity
  5. degree — an amount
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a music group
  11. charge — in control
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ball — a dance
  14. file — a document
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. charge — a price
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chair — a leader

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