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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 120 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: bowl · can · object · craft · chair · file · clip · scale

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. can — to be able to
  3. object — an aim
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. object — to protest
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a tool
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a document
  15. clip — to cut
  16. craft — boats
  17. clip — a video
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. object — a thing
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. file — a line of people
  24. craft — a handicraft

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