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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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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: scale · row · tear · march · pitch · fan · mate · chair

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mate — a partner
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitch — completely
  12. row — a line
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. march — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chair — a leader
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — to paddle
  22. scale — in music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. row — a quarrel

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