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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · lash · staff · court · file · can · stick · board

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

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — a tin
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chair — a leader
  5. court — of law
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. board — to get on
  8. court — for sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. staff — employees
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. can — to be able to
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of a king
  22. file — a document
  23. staff — employees
  24. board — a flat piece

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