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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: pitcher · fan · bass · march · row · chair · temple · roll

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. march — the month
  6. bass — low music
  7. row — a line
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. roll — a list
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bass — the fish
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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