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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 120 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: chair · scale · drill · arm · season · staff · saw · calf

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. scale — in music
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — in sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. scale — size or range
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. staff — a stick
  24. scale — for weighing

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