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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: kick · jam · staff · last · chair · capital

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. last — final
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. capital — a city
  8. last — to go on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. kick — in football
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — money
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. last — finally

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