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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: board · hide · perch · cabinet · bass · chest · scale · file

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — low music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — the fish
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chest — a box
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. file — a tool
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a line of people
  18. perch — the fish
  19. scale — in music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. board — a committee
  24. file — a document

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