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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.

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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: staff · safe · chair · rock · roll · field · bay · file

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. field — a subject
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chair — a leader
  7. field — farmland
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — for sport
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rock — a stone
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rock — music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a document
  24. roll — a list

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