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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: nail · season · staff · chest · club · rash · file · vault

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. club — for golf
  5. file — a document
  6. staff — employees
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. season — of the year
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chest — a box
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — a safe
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chest — of your body
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. season — in sport

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