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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: bat · date · bay · fine · stand · chair · staff · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. date — the fruit
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chair — a leader
  7. lie — to recline
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bat — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. staff — employees
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chair — a professorship

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