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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: rock · racket · club · chair · foot · staff · file · march

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. march — music
  5. club — for golf
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rock — a stone
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a line of people
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a document
  13. staff — a stick
  14. club — a group
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rock — music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. staff — employees

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