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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: last · staff · land · foot · roll · track · chair · key

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. foot — a measure
  4. last — finally
  5. chair — a leader
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. roll — a cake
  8. key — in music
  9. land — ground
  10. last — to go on
  11. track — to keep track
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — final
  14. track — a song
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — to come down
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. roll — a list
  21. key — for a lock
  22. track — a path
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. staff — a stick

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