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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 116 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: hand · rule · mate · club · staff · chair · calf · shower

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. staff — a stick
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. shower — rain
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rule — government
  21. chair — a leader
  22. staff — employees
  23. club — for dancing
  24. calf — of the leg

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