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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.

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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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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: perch · tube · cue · chair · pit · lean · file · board

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. chair — a leader
  3. board — a committee
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tube — a container
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lean — thin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pit — a hole
  20. board — to get on
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — to bend
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chair — to sit on

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