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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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468
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 · toast · rash · staff · bat · patient · craft · chip

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. rash — a series
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. craft — a skill
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chip — for betting
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. craft — boats
  23. rash — on the skin
  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