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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: scale · file · mark · staff · present · chest · bat · suit

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. file — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. file — a line of people
  7. scale — in music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. chest — a box
  10. present — there
  11. file — a document
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chest — of your body
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. scale — size or range
  19. staff — a stick
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mark — a trace

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