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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: bowl · key · chair · roll · safe · rash · staff · pit

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — hasty
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — employees
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. key — the most important part
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — in music
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — in a race

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