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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — in sport
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — thin
  7. chair — a leader
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. net — after costs
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — a box
  18. capital — money
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. current — electric
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. current — happening now

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