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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.

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: cap · perch · march · file · bass · tube · board · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. file — a document
  3. bass — low music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chair — a leader
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a committee
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — the underground
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. file — a tool
  23. board — to get on
  24. cap — a hat

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