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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: file · board · foot · bulb · chair · scale · march · wound

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. march — music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. board — a committee
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. file — a tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — in music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a document
  24. foot — a measure

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