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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: stand · staff · chair · present · roll · race · scale · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. chair — a leader
  4. roll — a list
  5. present — the time now
  6. roll — a cake
  7. scale — size or range
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — there
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mine — for digging
  13. race — humankind
  14. stand — to bear
  15. present — a gift
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. scale — in music
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. race — the arms race
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. staff — employees

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