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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: march · firm · chair · leaves · content · bass · ball · perch

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. firm — decided
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chair — a leader
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bass — low music
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — steady
  19. bass — the fish
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. firm — a company
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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