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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.

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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: hand · staff · chair · pit · perch · season · bear · chip

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — help
  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