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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
468
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: date · fall · staff · key · track · rash · chair · wound

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — employees
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. track — a song
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — on the skin

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