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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: staff · last · mark · chair · club · snap · scale · file

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. last — to go on
  3. scale — in music
  4. last — final
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mark — a grade
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to click
  16. staff — a stick
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. chair — a leader
  24. file — a tool

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