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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 116 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: chair · lash · staff · court · file · can

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — of law
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a document
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — of a king
  17. staff — a stick
  18. can — to be able to

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