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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: cap · march · date · coach · face · club · perch · chair

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — the fish
  4. face — to confront
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. club — a group
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. march — music
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cap — a lid
  21. face — to point toward
  22. club — for golf
  23. march — the month
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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