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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: staff · chip · leaves · scale · bass · stand · foot · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stand — to bear
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — low music
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. foot — a measure
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bat — for baseball

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