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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.

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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: bass · scale · chair · spell · lean · march · pit · board

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. board — a committee
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pit — in a race
  14. board — to get on
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — low music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lean — thin

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