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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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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 · rest · swing · chair · file · suit · board · field

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a tool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. swing — in golf
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. board — a committee
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. board — to get on
  21. suit — to fit
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. rest — what's left

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