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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
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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: board · file · fine · coach · scale · fan · hand · march

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. scale — in music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — in cards
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a document
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — a committee
  17. file — a tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — part of the body

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