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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: band · fan · file · perch · court · safe · chip · march

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. court — for sport
  6. file — a document
  7. march — the month
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. court — of law
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chip — to eat
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. march — music
  20. band — a ring
  21. chip — for betting
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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