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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · mouse · chest · staff · wax · suit · file · last

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. last — final
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — to go on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — a box
  14. file — a document
  15. last — finally
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chest — of your body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wax — to grow
  20. suit — clothes
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. suit — to fit

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