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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · staff · craft · chest · pitcher · chair · fine · file

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. staff — employees
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — all right
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. craft — boats
  10. fine — high quality
  11. chest — of your body
  12. staff — a stick
  13. spell — letters
  14. file — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — a box
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. craft — a skill

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