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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: mark · suit · chair · capital · scale · perch · march · mine

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. scale — size or range
  4. march — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a city
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mark — a trace
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. suit — to fit
  16. capital — money
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mine — for digging

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