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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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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: club · pit · march · chair · staff · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. 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. rest — a break
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. pit — a hole
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. staff — a stick
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — in a race
  15. club — a group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — for dancing
  18. 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