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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 · pitch · wake · chair · club · stick · scale · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. scale — in music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. club — for golf
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wake — a trail
  9. club — a group
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — a leader
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitch — completely

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